Packaging for surgical sutures and needles is well known in the art. The conventional packages serve several useful functions, including protecting the needles and sutures during handling, shipping, and storage. In addition, the packages facilitate access and release of the needles and sutures during surgery or other medical procedures prior to application. The packages may be used for surgical sutures armed with surgical needles or for unarmed surgical sutures without needles. There are two types of packages that have been conventionally used for surgical needles and sutures. One type of package is a paper folder package wherein a medical grade paperboard is folded and cut into a plurality of panels. The suture is then wound onto a panel and the package is assembled by folding the panels into a desired configuration, and then locking the panels in place using slits and locking tabs which have been cut into the panels. Another type of suture package which has been used is a tray package having a winding channel. These tray packages typically have an oval shape with outer and inner walls forming an oval winding channel. The packages are typically molded from plastics. The packages are mounted onto a winding fixture and sutures are then wound into the winding channel. Packages typically have a park member for mounting and securing a surgical needle if a surgical needle is mounted to the sutures. The park member can also be utilized for mounting one end of a suture wound into the winding channel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,498 discloses a two-piece suture package having an oval winding channel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,902 discloses a one-piece channel suture package having a plurality of door members which retain the suture in the channel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,424 discloses a package having a substantially square shape and having a square shaped suture channel wherein a plurality of cantilevered doors are mounted to an inner wall to maintain sutures in the channel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,652 discloses a package having an oval-shaped winding channel with a top friction plate member in lieu of doors or cantileevered doors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,533 discloses a needle park having a hinged section. U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,053 discloses a suture package having a cantilevered arm needle park.
Although the suture tray packages of the prior art are adequate and effective for their intended use, there is a need in this art for new suture tray packages having winding channels which are readily adaptable to high-speed packaging processes.